Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain

Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain (2013), by Charlotte Higgins (Read in January-February 2023).

I bought this book at a charity shop a couple of years ago in Jesmond. Interested as I am in history from a non academic perspective, it looked like a fun account of the history of Roman Britain. However it turned out to be much more than that.

It starts as a travelogue describing the journey that the author has made across Britain discovering Roman remains and relics, but it soon begins a smooth transition towards the tale of how the Romans came into Britain and life under the Roman Empire, including information about the battles, the heroes, and the important milestones, but also about everyday life. From the historical perspective, it also features chronicles about how these remains have been preserved over time. My favourites were the tales about the deep meaning of the Bath curse tablets, how the Vindolanda tablets were desciphered and translated, and how the Arthur’s O’on was ultimately destroyed, are just three examples of witty writing with anecdotal evidence interspersed with academic knowledge and wisdom.

There is a third dimension that I enjoyed the most, though. This how the author – Charlotte Higgins, currently The Guardian’s chief culture editor – takes advantage of a specific event (a statue, a mosaic, a battle) to shine a light on its context and its deep meaning for present-day readers. Using literary sources, history books, interviews with experts, and visits to the sites, she theorises about how life during this time helped cemented the British identity – or maybe didn’t?. There are many hypotheses about the influence of this period and the shaping of a British character, which makes this a very interesting essay.

While there are many tips for visits and an annotated bibliography, the book is ultimately fascinating mainly because it feels like a story being told by an illustrated and extremely clever writer who is not interested in fill your head with facts. Instead, she prefers to invite the reader to her own journey of discovery and reflection. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in British history.